Can Richmond challenge again in 2023?

[one-eyed]

David King and Gerard Whateley have named their top four seeds following Round 3 of the 2023 AFL season.

KING

1. Collingwood
2. Melbourne

3. Richmond

“I’m a believer. You can't all of a sudden become a non-believer. I’ll get there when I get there, not today.”

4. Carlton

WHATELEY

1. Melbourne
2. Collingwood
3. Carlton
4. St Kilda

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/04/03/king-and-whateleys-top-four-seeds-after-round-3-2023/

[Andyy]

St Kilda top 4 lol Whateley come on mate

[one-eyed]

POWER RANKINGS! (according to SEN)

A transition week in the power rankings with eight teams staying put... but that could mean mass change next week!


https://twitter.com/1116sen/status/1642708999832317953

------------------------------

Power Rankings (according to 7).

1. Collingwood
2. Melbourne
3. Carlton
4. St Kilda
5. Sydney
6. Brisbane

7. Richmond
Only Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn have scored less points for than the Tigers, and yet they sit eighth on the ladder with one win and a draw. We’ll know more when they get to the other side of the Bulldogs, Swans and Demons in the next three rounds.

8. Western Bulldogs
9. Geelong
10. Fremantle

https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-power-rankings-collingwood-stand-alone-as-reigning-premiers-cling-on-to-ninth-spot-c-10238080

[georgies31]

Far from challenging,  but way to early.

[one-eyed]

True contenders, flawed favourites and heavenly rise of 2023’s big surprise: Power Rankings

Max Laughton
Fox Sports
April 5th, 2023

1. Collingwood
2. Melbourne
3. Sydney
4. Carlton

5. RICHMOND (1-1-1, 109.1%)

Last week’s ranking: 5

On the plus side the Tigers have the ultra-rare and very aesthetically pleasing record of one win, one loss and one draw. (Well, not that rare. They were 1-1-1 in 2020, too.) On the negative side they probably won’t be 2-2-2. (Unless...?) Well, the real negative is how discombobulated they looked against the Magpies, even if their defence did hold up relatively well. Again, we have to draw a comparison between Brisbane and Richmond - as we’ve been doing since the pre-season - we simply didn’t expect the forward line to be an issue. But broadly speaking we’re not worried; after all the 14-point loss last Friday night was their biggest since Round 6 last year. They are nothing if not consistently competitive.

6. St Kilda
7. Brisbane
8. Geelong
--------------
9. Port Adelaide
10. W.Bulldogs
11. Essendon
12. Fremantle
13. Gold Coast
14. Adelaide
15. GWS
16. North Melbourne
17. West Coast
18. Hawthorn

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2023-power-rankings-after-round-3-analysis-highlights-every-club-ranked-ladder-predictions-contenders-latest-news/news-story/9f2b5ebe1016fcf6e8120fc9d10201e8

[one-eyed]

“IN A BIT OF TROUBLE”: WILL TIGERS STRUGGLE TO PLAY FINALS AFTER SHAKY START TO 2023?

Lachlan Geleit
SEN
9 April 2023

Richmond haven’t got off to the start of the year that they would have planned as they hold a one-win, one-draw and two-loss record after Round 4.

With their latest result a five-point defeat at the hands of the Western Bulldogs on Saturday at the MCG, the Tigers now face the daunting task of turning their season around with both Sydney and Melbourne to come in the next fortnight.

Coming off the loss to the Dogs, Kane Cornes believes the Tigers are in trouble and the Port Adelaide great would be surprised to see them feature in September this season.

“They’re in a bit of trouble as well, Richmond,” Cornes told AFL Nation.

“They came back into it in the second quarter, they kicked seven goals in a row.

“I don’t think the Western Bulldogs or Richmond are that good, to be honest.

“I’d be surprised if either team plays finals when it comes down to it.”

Cornes believes the Tigers will struggle to make the top eight due to their injury issues and an apparent lack of speed in the midfield.

“Richmond their injury history is horrific,” Cornes said.

“Once again, Jack Graham goes off with a hamstring injury so there’s an issue there after resting Jack Riewoldt and Cotchin.

“They just looked slow through the midfield and if it wasn’t for (Dustin) Martin and (Shai) Bolton inside 50 and (Tom) Lynch, they didn’t have much else.

“In the end, the Western Bulldogs despite a 20-minute patch in the second quarter were easily the better team today.”

Speaking on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, Cornes delved deeper into his concerns with Richmond’s midfield, particularly after the club recruited both Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper during the trade period on long-term deals.

“You’d be concerned,” Cornes told Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.

“(The midfield) was the concern prior to the start of the year and you’ve sold your future for two players who are poor ball users in Hopper and Taranto.

“Their role is to win stoppage and clearances and they were beaten up in that area.

“I think they (Richmond) are just ordinary.”

The Tigers will be desperate to pick up their second win of the season when they face the Swans on Friday night at the Adelaide Oval.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/04/09/in-a-bit-of-trouble-will-tigers-struggle-to-play-finals-after-shaky-start-to/

[WilliamPowell]

I was extremely bullish about season 2023. We have a soft draw if we are being honest

But right now our season is on the brink

Still think we will make the 8 as our draw opens up but that's it. Just making up the numbers

So want to be proven wrong

[TigerLand]

I think we are a top 8 side. I mean again our losses are games we think we could have won.

I think wed need something drastic to turn into flag contenders again.

[one-eyed]

Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall noted how costly the brutal setbacks were for Richmond, who’s also without back-up ruckman Ivan Soldo due to his own foot issue.

“Find two more important players in their make-up in terms of their ability to progress in 2023,” Dunstall said of Lynch and Nankervis on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“That power forward that directs so much of the traffic inside 50, and Nankervis, let’s not underestimate how good of a leader he’s become. He’s a terrific ruckman, but he’s also become an inspirational leader.

“This sets them back a lot, and they’re not playing the sort of football I thought they might be at this stage of the season.

“I’m now starting to second guess how highly I rated them heading into the season. I’m a little concerned about the way they’re playing.”

Dunstall believes it’ll make it hard to assess exactly where the undermanned Tigers are at after many tipped the club to return to premiership contention heading into the season.

“I’m disappointed they’ve got these injuries. I’d rather see them at full strength so I can judge exactly how they’re going and not have that as a lingering excuse on the side,” he added.

“I’m still unsure about the Tigers.”

It comes ahead of clashes against Sydney and Melbourne in the next fortnight in key tests for Hardwick’s side as it looks to add to its one win in 2023.

“They were grossly undermanned when they fronted up to Collingwood ... through not much fault of their own, they mightn’t get a decent crack at the first half of the season, and they’ll be chasing all the way through,” AFL 360 host Gerard Whateley pointed out.

“They don’t look like a team about to reprise the great deeds of those Richmond teams.”

Source: AFL 360.

[one-eyed]

POWER RANKINGS!

We have a new leader after 4 rounds! 📈

And a tough loss compounded by worse injury news for Richmond.


https://twitter.com/1116sen/status/1645366511153078277

[one-eyed]

"I'm a little bit concerned in terms of identifying who they are. I think they're going to get better as the year goes on...going to a Richmond game, you've known for a long time what you're going to get and now it's chopped and changed."

- Daniel Hoyne on Richmond

https://twitter.com/SENSportsday/status/1645711828062982144

[one-eyed]

Should the Tigers be worried after just one win and a draw from the first month of the season and injuries piling up?

Watch Access All Areas: https://www.afl.com.au/video/901186/aaa-concern-for-mccartin-the-blueprint-to-beat-the-pies-damning-giants-vision


https://twitter.com/AFL/status/1645626215024443394

[the claw]

Can we challenge again in 2023.

4 games in We are asking can we make the 8.

Truth is our older blokes are well older and we dont have enough games into what good kids we have.We actually have too many kids and we have no idea where they are at in regards to weather they are good enough for the level.

Despite all the injuries we started the season with few and at no stage have we looked like a genuine contender.Thats a concern.
Even if we get everyone back and we start to play some real good  footy, atm we are looking at just making the 8 at best.
 Unless we play the kids and 1 give em an opportunity and 2 hope they take good steps fwd THE SEASON IMO WILL BE WASTED.

Aim for finals but the aim should be to do it with as many kids as possible.

[one-eyed]

This week on the Real Footy podcast, Michael Gleeson, Jake Niall and special guest Mathew Stokes discuss whether it’s too soon to write off the Tigers, as the injuries pile up and with only one win so far this season. They haven’t sold the farm to land Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper, but they have sold off a lot of acreage. But are there positive signs in their approach to using their older players, such as Trent Cotchin being named the sub?

LISTEN from 20:55 - 25:05 min mark: https://omny.fm/shows/real-footy/a-horrible-victory

[one-eyed]

Power Rankings after Round 4

Max Laughton
Fox Sports
April 12th, 2023

1. Melbourne
2. Collingwood
3. St Kilda
4. Carlton
5. Sydney
6. Brisbane
7. Geelong

8. RICHMOND (1-2-1, 104.5%)

Last week’s ranking: 5

The Tigers just feel kind of awkward right now. They don’t have a clear and obvious game plan, as they did during their recent dynasty. The narrative around them is that the midfield is struggling but that’s wrong - they’ve won the clearances in three of their four games; it’s more about the kicking, which let them down badly in three of the four quarters against the Bulldogs. (Unsurprisingly in the one term they kicked well, they were dominant.) And from a list perspective, they’re trying to awkwardly straddle the line between two worlds - building for the future and remaining competitive with what’s left of their premiership core. Almost all of their key players are either 25 and under, or 29 and older - they’re a doughnut, with a hole in the middle where the prime-aged stars should be. With Tom Lynch and Toby Nankervis sidelined for at least a month each, a top-four finish suddenly seems quite unlikely, but we’re not jumping off them as a finals contender yet. After all we’ve seen them dig out of an early season hole before.


9. Adelaide
10. Port Adelaide
11. Western Bulldogs
12. Essendon
13. Fremantle
14. Gold Coast
15. GWS
16. North Melbourne
17. West Coast
18. Hawthorn

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2023-power-rankings-after-round-4-analysis-highlights-every-club-ranked-ladder-predictions-contenders-latest-news/news-story/1758e1541fee73de227ebb1f5d6fbea2